Planespotting Heaven: 7 Things To Know About H Hotel Los Angeles, Curio Collection by Hilton [Review]

Since I had an expiring American Airlines credit, I booked a quick trip to Los Angeles, primarily for planespotting at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Fortunately, the airport has an incredible variety of aircraft from carriers worldwide.

The area around the airport also offers numerous vantage points. One such spot was the rooftop of a hotel I had been looking forward to staying at for quite some time: the H Hotel Los Angeles, Curio Collection by Hilton.

Here’s a look at my October 2025 stay and what you should know if you’re considering staying at the H Hotel Los Angeles.

1. The Property Features 2 Different Hilton Hotels

The H Hotel Los Angeles, Curio Collection by Hilton, shares a building with a sister property, the Homewood Suites by Hilton Los Angeles International Airport.

The Homewood Suites occupies the lower floors of the building, while the H Hotel occupies the upper floors, offering guests distinct experiences within the shared property. The hotels share the same amenities, including the pool, restaurant, lobby, rooftop terrace, and hotel shuttle.

The H Hotel typically has higher cash rates than the Homewood Suites. Travelers — particularly families and larger groups — will find the Homewood Suites the more suitable choice. The Homewood Suites offers spacious rooms and suites designed for comfort and convenience, along with added benefits such as complimentary breakfast and access to all shared amenities.

Since the H Hotel is part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, the elite perks and benefits differ slightly from those at the Homewood Suites.

2. The Rooftop Views Are Unmatched

I booked the H Hotel for one reason: to access its rooftop terrace. This terrace offers unparalleled views across several of LAX’s runways, making it a perfect spot to watch planes take off and land while enjoying the open-air ambience. In the distance, you can also see the Pacific Ocean.

The terrace offers a variety of comfortable seating arrangements, providing ample space for guests to relax and socialize. There was enough space to accommodate up to 50 people at once without it feeling too crowded.

Of course, the real highlight was the view of planes touching down on runways 24R and 24L.

With LAX being one of the busiest airports in the world, there was a constant stream of arrivals from a wide variety of airlines, including several of my favorite airlines like All Nippon Airways (ANA), Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic, among many others.

While it may seem absurd, I spent over 12 hours on the rooftop terrace! Even with the heat, I loved every minute of it. The views were incredible, and I came away with some fantastic photos to show for it.

3. Staff Work Hard To Provide Upgrades to Elite Members

Upon checking in to the hotel, I was upgraded to a Superior King Airport View room on the 12th floor, thanks to my top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond status, which I had obtained with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.

Thanks to its numerous perks and benefits, the Hilton Aspire card is one of my favorites. In addition to the automatic Diamond status, it provides up to $400 in annual Hilton Resort credits, up to $200 in annual flight credits, and an anniversary free night reward (which can be redeemed at almost any Hilton Honors property worldwide when a standard room is available).

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Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

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The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Automatic Hilton Diamond status, an annual free night, and a travel and resort credit make this the perfect card for those who stay in Hilton hotels.

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Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Automatic Hilton Diamond status, an annual free night, and a travel and resort credit make this the perfect card for those who stay in Hilton hotels.

Welcome Offer

Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/14/2026.

175,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $875

Annual Fee

$550

APR

19.74%-28.74% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

Paying hundreds of dollars for an annual fee on a co-branded hotel card might seem ridiculous, but you should know that the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is much more than your run-of-the-mill hotel credit card.

The Hilton Aspire card is not only a phenomenal card for Hilton Honors loyalists, but even those who visit Hilton hotels just a few times a year can still get excellent value out of all the benefits that are packed into this card.

So let’s have a look at what makes the card so valuable to travelers.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 14x points per $1 on Hilton purchases
• 7x points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel, car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants
• 3x points per $1 on all other eligible purchases

Cons

• High annual fee of $550 (rates & fees)

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Card Highlights

• Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/14/2026.
• Card Members can earn 14X Points on purchases made directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• Card Members can earn 7X Points on purchases of Flights booked directly with airlines or flights booked through American Express Travel, Car rentals purchased directly from select car rental companies, and purchases at U.S. Restaurants.
• Card Members can earn 3X Points on all other eligible purchases.
• Enhance your hotel stay with complimentary Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status and enjoy a world of hotel privileges and benefits. Get exclusive perks at any of Hilton's 24 hotel brands, like a 100% Bonus on Base Points earned on every stay, Premium Wi-Fi and space-available room upgrades at select properties, and more.
• Enjoy an Annual Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors in your first year of Card Membership and every year upon Card renewal.
• $400 Hilton Resort Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts on your Hilton Honors Aspire Card. That's up to $400 back annually.
• $200 Flight Credit: Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter, for a total of up to $200 back each year, on flight purchases made directly with an airline or through amextravel.com using your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
• Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton after you spend $30,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you can earn an additional Free Night Reward from Hilton after you spend an additional $30,000 (for a total of $60,000) in purchases on your Card in the same calendar year.
• $209 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: You can receive up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you sign up and pay for a CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your eligible Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
• $100 Property Credit: How it Works: To receive up to $100 in credits for qualifying hotel charges, book a 2-night minimum stay at participating Waldorf Astoria^® Hotels & Resorts and Conrad^® Hotels & Resorts with your Card through hiltonhonorsaspirecard.com and select the Aspire Card Benefit rate option on the booking page or call Hilton Honors at (855) 292-5757 with the proper booking reference. See Terms & Conditions for further details.
• Hilton Honors Aspire Card Members can enjoy complimentary National Car Rental^® Emerald Club Executive^® status, including perks like Executive Area Access (for full-size reservations and above) in the USA and Canada. Card Members must enroll in the National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status through their American Express online account using their Card. Terms apply.
• $550 annual fee.
• Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.74%-28.74% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

I usually opt for the cheapest room available, hoping that my elite status might earn me an upgrade. I was pleasantly surprised to be proactively upgraded at check-in.

The room was incredibly nice, modern, and much nicer than expected. True to its name, it boasted breathtaking views. From the room, I could clearly see Terminal 4 and runways 25R and 25L.

Unfortunately, the windows were absolutely filthy, making it almost impossible to take pictures. Honestly, it looked like the windows had not been cleaned in months. This was a shame, as a simple cleaning could have elevated this room to an entirely new level.

Despite being so close to the airport, aircraft activity noise was not a concern. The windows were well-insulated, effectively keeping outside sounds to a minimum.

4. There Are Several Places To Eat

The H Hotel has several eateries. The property’s main dining venue, Waypoint Kitchen, specializes in modern California cuisine and is located on the lobby level.

There is also a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf coffee shop located past the check-in desk, and a Subway restaurant is situated near the rear entrance.

The property also features a large 24-hour-a-day pantry with a fantastic selection of frozen foods, snacks, drinks, and travel essentials.

5. There Are Numerous Amenities

The H Hotel offers guests a range of amenities, including a heated outdoor swimming pool, a business center, a fully equipped fitness center, meeting and event spaces, and a transit lounge.

The highlight was the outdoor pool, near the property’s entrance. It offered incredible views of Los Angeles’ light rail, but, unfortunately, no views of planes.

6. Not a Great Use of Hilton Honors Points

As this is a Hilton hotel, you can book the H Hotel using Hilton Honors points. However, that may not be a good idea.

Although the property has solid cash rates of around $165 per night, it typically requires around 65,000 points for a standard room for 1 night. We value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents each, which means that 65,000 points are worth around $325. Since the property’s cash rates are typically significantly lower, it would not provide good value from Hilton Honors points.

7. There Is a Complimentary Shuttle to LAX

If you’re flying in or out of LAX, the H Hotel is very convenient because of its location on West Century Boulevard. The property also offers a complimentary 24/7 scheduled airport shuttle, departing every half hour or so and stopping at all of LAX’s terminals.

At LAX, catching the hotel shuttle is a straightforward process. Look for the pink hotel shuttle signs outside the terminals and wait for the hotel shuttle to pass by.

It is worth noting that the airport shuttle is shared by those who parked their cars at Joe’s Airport Parking and guests of the Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles LAX/Century Boulevard.

Final Thoughts

The H Hotel Los Angeles, Curio Collection by Hilton, is a fantastic Hilton property and one of the best hotels near LAX. The hotel offers excellent amenities, has an ideal location near LAX, and provides a complimentary shuttle to the airport. However, the property’s defining feature is its rooftop terrace, which offers incredible views of several of LAX’s runways and terminals.

As a Hilton Honors Diamond member, I was upgraded to a room on the 12th floor with an airport view. The room was modern and spacious, providing everything I needed for the stay. Unfortunately, the windows were filthy, making it much less enjoyable to planespot from the room.

Still, the property was terrific. If I needed another hotel near LAX, I would stay at the H Hotel again. With how much I enjoyed plane spotting at LAX, the next stay may be even sooner than I think.